


Or Die Trying

by Sophisticated_Adult



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Axl Is Important, Gen, M/M, don't let the title scare you this is fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-07-22 04:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7419835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophisticated_Adult/pseuds/Sophisticated_Adult
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Zero's convinced he doesn't deserve happiness, X has been in denial for like ten years, and Axl has had it up to here with this nonsense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mission Start

**Author's Note:**

> Complete emotional trainwreck Zero is my favourite Zero tbh

Axl leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. A small part of him paid rapt attention to Signas as he detailed the plans and costs for the new training rooms, but mostly his thoughts just drifted. Being a super-advanced newgen reploid ruled sometimes.

He was also currently Zero.

To be honest, it was a little scary how easily he could copy his best friend these days. He barely had to think any more, it just came to him as easily as reaching out and picking something up. Even his acting had gotten better as they’d grown closer and Axl got to know his habits. He was a long way from perfect, though, if the disapproving looks he kept getting from X were anything to go by. Then again, if anyone was going to uncover this little scam, it was going to be Zero’s actual best friend. Speaking of, Axl was way worse at being X than his relative mastery of being Zero. Sure, he got the physical body itself perfectly, but he held himself too stiff and formal, and he was sure he didn’t have the walk right. Zero was easy because, by and large, he didn’t give much of a damn about anything other than X, and that casual rejection of nearly everything else was remarkably freeing to inhabit sometimes.

Just because Zero didn’t give a damn about himself didn’t mean that Axl didn’t, and to prove that, the real Zero was currently getting a much-needed recharge whether he liked it or not and Axl wasn’t about to let something like an officer’s meeting get in the way of that. However many suspicious glances X kept shooting at him out of the corner of his eye. Axl deliberately caught his gaze on the next one, made sure X was locked in before letting his borrowed mouth upturn into one of Zero’s disarming smiles.

X turned away so fast Axl was half-surprised nothing broke, raised his hand to speak, cleared his throat and asked a perfectly logical question about the schedule and room allocation that gave no indication he hadn’t been paying full attention the whole time. _Nice try, buddy,_ Axl thought, crossing his arms and tipping his chair back slightly with his foot. Not only had he gotten a good look at that lightning-fast deer-in-headlights expression, he was currently making a recording of the meeting for Zero so he’d get a copy, too.

Something pinged in Axl’s inbox.

_Axl, do you know where Zero is? He’s not answering my messages._

So said X, who was deliberately ignoring Axl in favour of listening politely to one of the finance ladies as they talked about contractual spend. Well, the game was up, if it hasn’t already been up from the start.

 _You got me, you sly dog,_ Axl replied. For some reason it was easier for him to talk to X when he was borrowing Zero’s form. He was less awkward, less scared he’d say something that would make X think he was dumb.

_He’s just resting, he’s fine, you know how he is about actually getting any sleep at all._

There was no change in X’s expression after Axl sent the message, even though the newgen watched him closely for the slightest indication of movement. Well, he probably wouldn’t be able to bring up the nerve to ask later, so Axl followed it up with: _so what was that about earlier?_

 _I don’t know what you’re talking about_ was the quick, prim response, minus the full stop and all. X must be pretty flustered if he was forgetting his punctuation. Axl fought back a snicker. He set aside a small percentage of his processor to make a copy of those few seconds of his amusing expression from earlier and sent it over as an attachment in his next message: _it kinda looked like it was a big deal?_

It was a tiny movement, barely noticeable if you weren’t watching for it, but X’s eyebrow twitched.

Axl declared complete and total victory.

\---

“Seriously. Like, one little smile, like this-” Axl did it again, although it lacked the same power after X had made him return to his own form shortly after the meeting, “and you’re all, ‘oh no, he’s hot.’”

“Well-“ to Axl’s utter delight, X flushed now that he didn’t have a formal audience to perform for. “So? Just because he’s – physically attractive- doesn’t mean-“

“Oh my god.” Axl stopped dead, forcing X to turn back.

“What?”

“You’re admitting it!” Axl gasped, hands rising to his cheeks in theatrical surprise. “I shoulda done this months ago.”

“’Zero is good-looking’ isn’t some kind of amazing revelation,” X pointed out. “It just means that my eyes work properly.”

“Yes, but – good grief, how long have you two known each other? Like, longer than I’ve been _alive._ Way longer than that, actually.”

“You’re reading too much into this, Axl.”

“Maybe you’re not reading _enough._ You know he pretty much adores you, right? Like, basically all I have to do when I copy him is not give a shit about pretty much anything except you. Unless there’s a direct Maverick invasion or something.” X stopped and looked at him strangely. Axl thought he’d gotten through, until he said: “exactly how often have you been doing this that you know that?” 

“That is not the _point_ , X.” Axl despaired. They were so _close_ , and X was so _stubborn_ about it. “X. Please. For my sake, for your sake, for his sake, for reploids everywhere, please.” He leaned in close. “ _Please think about smooching him.”_

\---

About ten minutes after they’d parted ways, Axl was ready to bang his head against the wall in embarrassment when the realisation of what he’d just done set in. Ye gods, what had come over him? If X didn’t think he was a huge idiot before, he did now. _I’m an idiot_ played on loop in his head as he hurried towards his room to check on Zero. He’d gotten too caught up in the moment, still retaining some vestiges of the confidence being Zero had given him when it came to talking to X. He’d never have been able to say half of those things by himself.

“This is your fault,” Axl told the real culprit matter-of-factly as he leant over the pod to check the readout details. A good two hours. Not bad for someone who nearly pathologically avoided recharge pods in favour of much more inefficient beds. Axl just didn’t get it. A dreamless recharge was quick and easy and avoided the nightmares and insomnia that plagued Zero when he tried to sleep, but he never voluntarily used the pods if he could get away with it. “You’re a weird dude, dude,” Axl informed him. He drummed his fingers on the reinforced casing, wondering if this was enough or if he ought to leave it. Aside from the meeting, Zero didn’t actually have much on his schedule save a training session with his unit later that Axl would be able to fob off easily enough. Maybe he’d want to actually spend some of his rare free time with X instead of being kept back here. Unfortunately, there was no way to ask him without waking him up. Axl sighed and reached across to initiate the cancelling sequence. It would have to be enough.

“Heya, buddy,” Axl said brightly, arms folded on the edge as the cover slid back with a hiss and Zero blinked groggily. “How was it?”

“Get me out of this thing,” Zero replied, already sitting up and starting to none-too-delicately remove the wires attached to him.

“Peaceful, I bet.” Axl reached out to lend a hand, then offered a palm to Zero once all the wires were out. “Continuous.”

“How was the meeting?”

“Eh. Pretty much what you’d expect.” He gave a quick run-down of the main points. “Oh, and this.” He quickly sent across the same short clip he’d sent to X in the meeting. Zero’s gaze went unseeing for a few moments, then he snorted and blinked. “What got him like that?”

“This.” Axl did the same, slow smile, although he felt a bit silly doing it in front of the _actual_ Zero. “And he was basically beet-red when I spoke to him about it later.”

“That’s cute,” Zero commented as he stretched out like a cat.

And that seemed to be that, as Zero said he was going to get some practice in before the training session and sauntered off.

Axl remained still as he realised what had just occurred.

X had admitted that Zero was hot.

Zero had admitted that X was cute.

And _neither of them were going to do anything about it._

Clearly, it was up to Axl to save the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an attempt at a second part but it was extremely not good so feel free to make up your own ending to this it will probably be better than the 300-ish word mess I ended up deleting


	2. Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who would win: decades of comfortable inaction between two legendary veterans, or one frustrated fourteen year old?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, it's the sequel/continuation I always kinda had in the back of my head but was too intimidated by to try and actually write. But since the last chapter of Oleander broke 100,000 words on my AO3 account I'm like 'heck yeah I can write things good' so take it while it lasts, I am me after all and in no way guarantee a third chapter any time soon but maybe?????
> 
> Anyway here's Axl banging his head against a wall for a bit. (Please note this takes place either at some nebulous pre-X8 point or X8 does not exist and we're going full Get That Canon Out Of My Face, take your pick)

Axl has a Mission. _Top_ secret. Take-it-to-your-grave kind of stuff.

Well, okay, save the time when, in desperation, he'd gone to Alia before The Mission crystallised.

“Help me,” he practically begged, speaking fast to get it all out. There had been one, final, eyes-locked-for-just-too-long moment this morning, and X's little _smile_ when they broke off and Zero acting like nothing was different was the final, final straw. “They're being idiots and I don't know what to do, how have you guys all managed to _stand_ this for however long?”

Alia blinked and took a second to process the torrent of words from a definitely-not-crazy Reploid at the end of his tether. “Well,” her smile was kind, but not in the indulgent aww-look-at-the-newbie-kid way he _really_ hated that he still sometimes got from HQ staff who didn't know him so well, so Axl appreciated it nonetheless. “Zero I can't speak for, but X is usually reasonable. What's up?”

“It's just-” he waved his hands, trying to illustrate My Best Friends Are Idiots And I Can't Get Them To Stop when words couldn't really do justice to all the little looks, the frequent, _frequent_ touching, how incredibly fucking obvious it was and Axl just didn't _understand_. It resulted in a lot of helpless flailing, but he stopped sheepishly when she leaned back to avoid a wave meant to illustrate how when they're in the same room Zero always has to be close, like, guy's afraid someone's going to snatch X away or something and it's their last ever chance to be together, but he never goddamn _goes_ for it. And X would doubtless claim he's perfectly happy stuck in their little rut carved out over years of _never going for it._

Ever since Axl really noticed it, he can't stop seeing it. All. The. Time. And, relatively speaking, he hadn't even really been a Hunter all that long; some of them have known X and Zero going all the way back to Sigma's first revolt. He made a final, beseeching gesture: _how can you_ live _with this?_

Alia, bless her, seemed to get it. “Ah, it's all right. It's not just you, you know, a lot of – do you know about the betting pool?”

“Yeah.” Axl hadn't been able to decide on the ideal scenario, too many possibilities piling up in his brain, so so far he'd avoided making a bet. It was a collective thing – no-one really knew who'd originally started it, but nearly everyone could get you a copy if you needed it. Some of the bets were older than he was. Some of the names were greyed out; either a retiree or deactivated during service. That was fucking depressing to think about.

“Well, the rules of _that_ are that we're not allowed to interfere,” she said. “No influencing them for your own monetary gain. But -” she surprised him with a little wink - “the smart money is on X making the move.”

“Well, duh.” Axl replied automatically, because he knew Zero better than X and he knew how much _that_ side of it wasn't happening any time soon. “But-” he hesitated. Alia had admitted she was already compromised. Stupid ethical non-interference rule. He'd be getting no actual help here, just solidarity and support before he tore his hair out and screamed. “Thanks anyway. Guess I just needed to vent.”

“We all do sometimes,” She nodded sympathetically as Axl made his retreat. Pretended like nothing was wrong while the gears turned.

The joke was on them. He'd never made a bet in the first place. _Operation: Get My Dumb Friends To Kiss Already_ was, from a financial perspective, completely morally sound.

He'd come up with the name himself.

\---

Axl stood in front of the mirror, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was probably illegal for him to even have this particular form as an option, but, well, at least Axl knew he was truly doing this for the greater good.

His body shifted, grew wider, grew taller. While he was used now to seeing various Maverick-red eyes in the mirror when he borrowed their forms, this one still nearly made him take a step back. Even never knowing the _real_ Sigma, even only being a copy of a copy of a copy at this point, he was still _hella_ intimidating.

“Geez,” Axl muttered, turning a huge hand over to inspect it. “Big guy, ain’t ya.” Right. Business. Axl drew himself up to his considerable new height, puffed his chest out like he imagined the enemy of all humankind might.

“Er-hem! I, Sigma, am in charge, the most evil evil to ever evil! Cower before my might, you foolish fools! Bwahahahaha!” He put his hands to his hips and struck a swaggering, evil pose. It held for a few minutes before he deflated.

“Yeah, maybe not.” He turned back into himself, shook his head to clear any excess evil that he might have inadvertently picked up. “Probably a bad idea.” He needed to get X’s attention, not invite an airstrike on himself. De-escalate it a little. He closed his eyes, trying to think as faces of potential candidates flashed by in his mind’s eye. Axl already knew his plans for Zero, since he had easier access to the guy than he did X, who was less likely to be able to be convinced-slash-pestered into getting out and alone with him for a little pretend-kidnapping action. Now he just needed someone who would draw out X, and only X, and not cause a higher alert while Zero was...unavailable.

Whoa. He had the slightly dizzying sensation of nearly mentally tripping over himself to go back to one profile he’d initially tossed back with the others as _too dead_. This one...there was history there. It was perfect. He could spin some dumb backstory, but hopefully everyone would be panicking too much to ask questions. Axl’s grin vanished as he changed again.

True, X had proven that he could see through the copy ability, but that was in a setting where he had quiet time to study ‘Zero’ and come to his conclusion. If Axl played his cards right, he wouldn’t have that time to think and analyse his behaviour. It wasn’t like X saw this guy day in and day out and was intimately familiar with all his little quirks, anyway.

He rubbed his hands together in glee. This was going to be _fun_.

\---

“This is a personal message for my _dear_ friend X. Yes, I’m surprised I’m back, too, but as you can see I haven’t wasted my time. All I want is a rematch without my pretty hostage interrupting...as you can see I have him quite safe, but that might change if you dawdle. And before you think about sending in your little friend disguised as you, I’ve taken care of him, too, so if you value his life you’ll come alone. I’ll see you later...X.”


End file.
